Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 28 MARCH 2018 / E AT+ D R I N K / CONTACT soallbistro.com Bringing the precision and discipline of a top restaurant into Soall's admittedly home- spun vibe is tricky. "It's a merger of cultures on a lot of levels," Miller says, noting that she has learned to expedite (ensure that all the stations in the kitchen are working together to get dishes out at the same time) in Vietnam- ese, working with a mix of longtime staers and new hires. "We are here to achieve a higher standard." Nguyen is the rst to admit that she didn't have a lot of experience running a restaurant kitchen when she opened ve years ago, and that became more important when the restau- rant expanded about a year ago, doubling in size. e original menu was based on the owners' mothers' recipes, and the classic pho remains unchanged. e broth simmers over- night and Nguyen comes in every morning to avor it. However, much of the new menu, which debuted early this year, was developed by Miller, much to the delight—and sometimes disappointment—of regulars, who miss eve- rything from the old bowls (although, in fact, the serving size is the same) to the old menus (there are now more oerings, but shorter descriptions). Miller has changed over much of their sourcing to organic and local suppliers, and is working to marry Vietnamese avors and techniques with proteins familiar on the North Shore. e ginger scallion lobster is a good example. While the name is a familiar Asian restaurant staple, Soall's version is completely dierent, taking tender local lobster sautéed in a thick vinaigrette and making it into a sort of warm lobster salad, served atop a bed of watercress and fried lo mein noodles, which are a Vietnamese classic. "Some dishes are super authentic and we don't mess around with them, and others we can be creative with," says Miller, whose popu- lar side project, the pop-up Nightshade, has found a permanent home at Soall as well. To pair drinks with the inventive cuisine, the owners brought in Sarah Marshall, whose background includes lauded Boston restau- rants such as Frank McClelland's L'Espalier and Barbara Lynch's Butcher Shop, to craft a far-ranging wine list, with everything from a rosé of Gamay from the Loire Valley to a pinot gris from the Czech Republic—unusual for a North Shore Asian spot. e creative list requires some hand-selling and education, as do some of the dishes, but customers are generally rewarded if they take a chance. For example, if someone is willing to try one order of the rock shrimp and sweet potato fritters or the grilled beef in betel leaves, each of which are sold by the piece, they are likely to order four more right away. "e clien- tele we have gained have been very supportive," Miller says. "It's the same quality that people pay a lot more money for in Boston." The New England seafood pho at Soall was developed by executive chef Rachel Miller. Check out our digital edition for the New England seafood pho recipe. nshoremag.com/ digital-edition/